This is a very interesting book for anyone interested in the state of Montana; whether you live here, want to live her or just love the lore of this big state. There have been many book written about Montana – it is a very diverse state geologically from the Rocky Mountains in the west to the plains of the east. In fact as the title of the book offers, there are seven Montanas; Missouri River Country, Custer Country, Yellowstone Country, Russell Country, Gold West Country, and Glacier Country.

Each “country” is presented through stories from people past and present to showcase what makes the area special and what is special about each area. Montana rightly claims Glacier National Park and also claims Yellowstone even though the bulk of the park resides in Wyoming.

I have said and continue to say that Montana is the most scenic place I have ever seen and I have been some pretty beautiful places. There is also a lot of history in this state that covers so much area it goes from time zone to time zone. It is also one of the more sparsely populated states – it’s only been within the last 8 years or so that the population has crested one million. It’s a land of mountains, trees, rivers and plains.

The book illustrates the stories with some beautiful and evocative black and white photos. I will admit that I first paged through to just look through the photos before I even started reading. It is an interesting look at a widely diverse state with a rich history. ( )